The Girl Next Door
by Lizzerdgrrl
Summary: AU Kikyo is Shikon High's school goddess. Kagome, the humble band nerd, is always being mistaken for her! But when Kikyo has to leave the school for a year, who will she get to take care of her reputation? And, more importantly, her boyfriend?
1. Prologue

**The Girl Next Door**

Prologue

_Dear Kikyo…_

CLICK

_Hey Kikyo! How's it going?_

CLICK

_So Kikyo, I know you wanted a daily update but isn't this kinda weird? I mean, Youtube is out there for all to see and I, I mean, don't you think that kinda defeats the whole point? ANYONE could just log right on and…_

CLICK

_Dear _Diary_,_

_I figured this kind of intro would divert any unwanted attention. That way, you can see what's up and no one really knows who you are!_

_Well, What do you think?_

_About the hair I mean. And the makeup. I got up at 6 like your PDA told me to, but I don't think all that time was really necessary. I don't have NEARLY as much hair as you do! Well, as you DID. _

_Whew… Can I just say that I'm actually kinda nervous? First day and all. I think it's sort of a given. I always get nervous during first concerts too, but it goes away so I'm not too worried._

_Well, it's almost 8 now, and Miroku and Sango should be pulling up pretty soon to pick me up. I read all your notes about those two but most of them just said 'Don't talk to them' so I guess it'll be a pretty boring trip to school. _

_Oh and since it's the first day and all I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all this. I know I'm the one doing the favor, but your 'compensation' was WAY beyond generous. So, Thanks._

_Oh! They're they are, I'd better be off! Don't wanna be late!_

_Talk to you tomorrow 'Diary'!_

_Kagome Higurashi signing off!_

_CLICK_

* * *

Yep, that's all y'all get for the first part! LOL Just Kidding... the REAL first chapter is next. And before any of you ask, that CLICK thing is a video camera. I guess Kagome got a cheap one one or something and it makes an obnoxious clicking noise. I couldn't think of another sound effect! And this whole webcam thing I think I'll be using a lot. More info on that later.

Well thanks for reading don't forget to review and enjoy the first chapter that's coming up! :D


	2. The Proposal

Like I said last time, this is the REAL first chapter. Nice and long. Well, longer anyways. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm not sure if this is a humor fic yet, so I don't wanna ruin the mood but saying "I don't own Inuyasha" in any clever little way. I'm just gonna say it. I don't own Inuyasha. (insert laugh here)

**The Girl Next Door**

Chapter One

_The Proposal_

_10 days earlier…_

"Kagome! Hurry up we're gonna be late for rehearsal!" Ayumi hollered for her friend.

"Oof! You know—Ayumi—things …. Ugh! Would be going much faster if you… Uhn! Would HELP ME OUT!!" Said friend was currently battling with a rather large cart carrying what seemed to be several large broken instruments. Much to the young girl's dismay, the instrument cart was currently stuck in the smaller of the music hallways and thoroughly refused to move.

"Uh uh!" Ayumi shook her head. "You know I'm still recovering from that nasty fall I took last game! The doctor told me I can't carry anything that weighs more than the remote."

"Oh I'm SO sorry." She rolled her eyes.

Because pushing the cart seemed to be getting Kagome nowhere, she struggled to maneuver herself around the front to pull. A sudden rip noise caught her attention. "Oh that's just great…" She sighed and looked down at the tear in her shirt that went from the middle of her stomach around to the smaller part of her waist.

"Ooh. Tough luck Kagome." Ayumi leaned against the hallway wall. "I liked that shirt on you. It was really cute."

"Thank you, Ayumi." Kagome groaned. "I liked it too…" Sighing in defeat Kagome slid to the floor to look at her abused shirt more privately. It was a pretty clean cut. Maybe when she got home she could sew it up and it would look just fine. She was a pretty good seamstress now, after ruining several of her favorite outfits in band rehearsal. This was just the latest in a long line of distressed clothing. Maybe she should—

"Oi! Kikyo!" A rough voice shook Kagome from her shirt dilemma. "Get up off the damn floor! I need to talk to you!"

She recognized this voice. Everyone recognized this voice. "Inuyasha…" She growled and narrowed her eyes before turning to face him. "What the hell do you want?"

Inuyasha stopped midstep. He blinked his large golden eyes as realization hit him. "You're not Kikyo." He said bluntly.

"Yeah, I know." Kagome almost spat the words at him. "I'm KAGOME."

"Right," He crossed his arms across his chest. His long white hair rested softly against his jacket. "You two look so similar. You don't have to bite my head off."

"I'm not biting anybody."

"You are so snippy! Everytime I run into you you're like this! What the hell is your problem with me!"

"MY problem?!" Kagome pulled herself off the floor to face him. "Everytime you run into me you think I'm Kikyo! Forgive me if I get a little bitter about it!"

He frowned. "I can't help it that you two look the same from behind!"

"'From behind', 'From the side', 'at a distance'… Yeah I've heard it before, Inuyasha. Several times before in fact. From you." She clenched her fists.

"Keh." He shrugged. "You should probably compliment anyways. I know a lot of girls who would kill to be mistaken for Kikyo, Kaguri."

"That's KAGOME!" She glowered at him. "And the only reason anybody would want that is so you'll look twice at them."

"Whatever floats your boat Kagimi." He turned to leave.

"KAGOME!"

He raised a claw nonchalantly as a response while walking down the hall to find his REAL girlfriend.

Kagome just watched him in a cold silent fury. She hated, HATED, to be mistaken for Kikyo. Especially by HIM.

Kikyo—The most popular and most envied girl in the school. She was everything everybody wanted to be at Shikon High. Beautiful, smart, cool, rich, unanimously voted junior class president and cheer captain. She took the gold medal at the Tokyo city Junior archery competition 4 years in a row, going on 5 and she did it all with the hottest Hanyou in the country wrapped around her little finger.

Inuyasha.

As far as couples go, those two were a match made in heaven. Both of them were absolutely gorgeous with money to burn, but what really made them perfect was the way they balanced each other's personalities out. While Kikyo was always calm and collected, never losing her cool, Inuyasha was bold, loud and often terribly rash. It was Inuyasha who brought Kikyo out of the shadows when he asked her out in 8th grade, but it was Kikyo who kept Inuyasha in check all the years afterward. He was a bit of a hothead in his earlier years, but his girlfriend managed to cool him down enough to allow him to become the most sought after male this side of Tokyo.

So there they were. Mr and Mrs Perfect. Having everything and wanting nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And then there was Kagome.

Kagome had been mistaken for Kikyo moved to Tokyo. Although, at the time She was mistaken for Kikyo about as much as Kikyo was mistaken for Kagome. It wasn't until Inuyasha asked her out that Kagome suddenly disappeared. From that point, she was never 'Kagome' to anybody but her family. She was 'Hey Kik—oh you're not her.'

Which is why she couldn't stand that silver haired half-breed. As far as Kagome was concerned, Inuyasha had killed her the day he asked Kikyo out.

And to top it off, HE was the one who made the mistake most often! She couldn't go a week without hearing his raspy voice shouting somebody else's name at her.

Kagome uttered a frustrated grunt and turned back toward the instrument cart. "Oooooh! I HATE him!"

"Kagome?" Ayumi watched her friend with concern.

"I hate his eyes! I hate his ears! I hate his hair! And I hate, I HATE…" She grabbed the handle of the cart roughly and pulled hard. "HIS VOICE!!!" The cart came out with a thunderous CRACK. And left a fairly large hole in the hallway wall from where it was stuck. Kagome smiled and walked back around to push the cart. "Now come on Ayumi! We're gonna be late!"

Ayumi gaped at the wall. "Right," She turned to look at her friend. "Hey Kagome? You need help with that?!"

*****

Kagome yawned. Band rehearsal had run a little long today and carrying a clarinet in marching position while dancing around the football field was not an easy task.

She smiled.

So she was a band geek, so what? She loved to play music and she loved to have people watching her and clapping for her, something that only seemed to happen in band class.

Kagome sighed. It seems she was a little bit of an attention whore, huh?

Well, she happened to be first chair clarinet. It was a pretty respectful position in her mind. And at least no one could take that from her. With no real friends to waste her time she spent most of her time practicing, much to her mother's dismay. She wasn't bad by any means, it's just, you can only take so much of 'Ode to Joy' before you start going a little crazy.

So Kagome practice in the old well house in the shrine. Nice, quiet, and she could talk to herself without anybody looking at her funny. It was her own little secret music hideout. She went in a rookie and she came out a clarinet master.

Unfortunately though, clarinet masters had to walk home in very windy weather today. She generally liked walking home, looking at the birds and the tree and sometimes people watching, but she definitely wouldn't have minded an alternate mode of transportation of days when the weather was a bit less than ideal. The poor trees were clinging to roots for dear life to avoid being blown away.

"Maybe I should go help clean the band room and wait for this wind to die down?" She thought aloud.

The band room always needed a good cleaning and she was always more than happy to help out in the one place that people seemed to know her name. It really had nothing to do with the weather. In fact, if Kagome had looked up at the sky she would've seen that the weather was going to be anything but better the more she waited.

Ah well. If she was lucky, she could wait until her mother was on her way home and ask her to swing by in pick her up. Only if the weather was really bad, because Kagome's school was definitely not on the route from Ms. Higurashi's work to home, and gas was expensive these days.

And, with this plan, Kagome had another 2 hours to burn before she could even call her mother. She wouldn't pick up before 6:30 on a workday unless it was the emergency room.

Kagome stopped and turned as if she was dancing. She began walking back toward the school trying to hold her hair out of her eyes while she did it.

As she got closer to the school she could vaguely see through the strands of her hair a group of kids sitting on the back steps. Pushing her hair behind her she got a better glance and saw it was just Inuyasha, Kikyo and their posse. She sighed. She would either have to walk through them to get to the band hall or walk all the way around the school to find another open door. A large gust of wind nearly toppled her over and made her decision.

She slowly crept toward the steps her head low. Voices started to reach her ears over the wind.

"Why can't we have the party at your house Kikyo?" A gruff voice that belonged to a certain half demon was, of course, the first one she managed to hear.

"Because, you silver haired devil," A cool bell like voice was the next to respond. It obvious belonged to Kikyo. "Last time we had a party at my house things got a little out of control and my favorite piece of art was ruined." She laughed. "As well as your favorite cup."

"I—" He scoffed. "I don't have a favorite cup!"

"Well, of course not anymore. You should have seen your face when it hit the wall your look like someone shot you with an arrow." She laughed again.

"I DID NOT!!"

"Oh Inuyasha, lighten up!" This was another voice, belonging to someone named Miroku. "We all have our guilty pleasures. Isn't that right Sango-chan?"

Sango, Kagome assumed, answered back rather fiercely. "Screw you Miroku! And get away from me!"

"What? Are you two fighting again?" Inuyasha said nonchalantly. He obviously didn't care.

"No!" Sango replied quickly, "It's just that—" She paused and looked over at Kagome who was now close enough to be noticed apparently.

"Oh," Kagome stopped in front of them. "Um, excuse me?"

The whole group just stared. Kagome could see now there were more than just 4 people on the stairs. Obviously there was Inuyasha, Kikyo, Miroku and Sango, but Kagome saw that Kouga, the wolf demon was sitting near them along with his two best friends Ginta and Hakkaku. There was also Kagura, and her brother Naraku. A pretty quiet guy for the most part, but when it came to torturing freshman he was always the first in line. A bit on an asshole to say the least. Kagome wasn't even sure if his own sister liked him very much.

All the popular kids lined up on the stairs. And all of them were staring at Kagome. It made her more than a little uncomfortable.

So she broke the silence, "Can I get through?" She asked politely.

Inuyasha scoffed and moved over to let her through, while the rest continued staring.

"Thanks…" She hurried past and through the doors but didn't miss the 8 pairs of eyes follow her in. She also didn't miss Kouga's comment before the door closed.

"Did anyone else see that?"

*****

Much to her dismay the band room was locked. Apparently the director had gone home for the day early, sensing the storm that was approaching. So now Kagome had 2 rather unpleasant options.

She could walk home in the wind that was just about string enough to pick her up and throw her down.

Or…

She could sit outside the band room doors. Bored. For 2 hours.

Kagome didn't like to be bored. It was quite boring. But she also didn't fancy being dragged off course because Mother Nature happened to be PMSing that day. She sank to the floor.

She didn't have long to think before a familiar voice broke into her thoughts.

"Excuse me…" The bell like tone and politeness was unmistakably Kikyo, causing Kagome to look up at her in shock.

Apparently Kikyo was surprised by her sudden movement too, because she had the same look of shock on her face.

"Sorry!" Kagome said quickly and stood up to meet Kikyo's eyes. "Um, did you need something?" She resisted the urge to add 'Ms. Kikyo'. It was something about Kikyo's presence that seemed to demand all forms of respect.

"Yes," Kikyo shook her head as if to forget something. "I, well, actually—" She took a deep breath.

'_Wow,'_ Kagome thought to herself. _'She's at a loss for words? I wonder what's up with her? Not to mention, I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's talked to me in 5 years.'_

"Ok." Kikyo looked Kagome straight in the eyes. "I'm going to ask you a favor."

"A favor?" Kagome replied dumbly.

"Yes. But not here." Kikyo turned to leave. "I'll drive you home afterwards but I need to talk to you PRIVATELY."

Kagome blinked several times, trying to process what just happened. Apparently this was a big deal. There was absolutely NO ONE in the school, how much more private could the conversation get?

"OK then Kikyo," Kagome ran up to walk next to her. "Then where are we going?"

Kikyo smiled softly.

"My house."

*****

Kagome didn't expect any different. She KNEW Kikyo was rich, really rich. But her car still came as a surprise. It was a Porche, of course, just down Kikyo's alley. A beautiful silver color that sparkled, sunlight or no, and the inside was even more beautiful. Spot clean, Kagome was almost afraid to get in. The seats were a nice, creamy, tan colored leather, and probably the most comfortable seats Kagome had ever sat in.

And then there were the buttons. Kagome was never a car person, but she loved buttons and gadgets as much as any computer geek. The first thing that caught her eye in the car was the Navigation screen, which, as Kikyo hit the button to start the car, lit up brightly and greeted the two girls with a pleasant British accent. Then it only got better. The whole car seemed to light up, showing Kagome exactly how to roll down the windows, move her seat back, and pull the top down if she really wanted to. And the Navi system turned into the ultimate remote and Kagome had to sit on her hands to resist playing with the touch screen.

"Home please," Kikyo said calmly.

"Destination: Home." The car replied. "Will that be all Ms. Kikyo?"

Kagome just gaped; fascinated by the fact that her car was so intelligent, and also relieved that she wasn't the only one who felt the need to say 'Ms Kikyo' when talking to this girl.

"Yes."

And she drove off.

As the initial gadget shock started to wear down, Kagome really started to think about what she was doing. As far as she knew… Well… actually she knew absolutely nothing.

Kikyo needed a favor. From her. Cute little Kagome.

What could Ms. Perfect possibly need from Kagome? It was stressing her out just thinking about it. Clearly it was something big because Kikyo was afraid to even ask her about it not to mention the fact that she was driving Kagome to her house because apparently an empty school wasn't private enough for the conversation.

Also, if Kagome looked over at Kikyo, the poor girl looked wrought with worry. Well, she looked like she was thinking very hard and not focused on anything in front of her, which as a driver was very dangerous and as Kikyo was very unusual.

The drive seemed short, probably because Kagome spent so much time thinking about the situation, but she noticed that when she looked out the window, there were much more trees outside than she remembered being in the city. After a little more time the car turned a bend and Kagome could see Tokyo below them as they were now driving on the side of a very large hill. Or a very small mountain.

Kagome continued to gape at the scenery as the car pulled up a steep and seemingly endless driveway with ease. The car then pulled to a soft stop and Kikyo all but flew out of the car, leaving a dumbstruck Kagome alone in the passenger seat.

'_I'll bet Kikyo didn't really drive at all.' _Kagome thought as she got out of the car to follow Kikyo. _'The car probably has some auto drive that she activated by her voice or something crazy like that.'_

But Kagome's thoughts on the James Bond car were all but lost as she looked up to Kikyo's house. From down the driveway it was all but invisible within the grove of trees that surrounded it, but now, standing only a few hundred feet from the front door Kagome could see it very clearly. Big and white it towered above the young school girl.

"Whoa…" Was all she could say.

"Hurry up then," Kikyo called at Kagome and motioned for her to follow inside.

There aren't enough words to describe how completely awesome the inside of Kikyo's house was. 'Huge', was the first one that came to mind followed quickly by 'amazing' and 'clean'. They had walked in through the front door and were welcomed by a grand foyer with a curved staircase and brightly lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Further down the hall Kagome could see another room, a living room perhaps, also well lit--no doubt by another chandelier--and VERY well furnished. Lots of artwork covered the walls, all very pretty pieces but unfamiliar to Kagome eyes. As they walked into the room it was, as Kagome guessed, a living room complete with a large fireplace and tall ceiling. More art hung in this room, the most noticeable being right above the fireplace, a snow scene with 2 tiny people off in the distance.

"Sit down, Kagome." Kikyo sat in the loveseat where she could look out the large glass window at the city below.

Kagome obediently sat on the adjacent couch, back to the window that Kikyo found especially interesting at the time.

The two girls sat like that for what seemed to Kagome a small eternity. She started to open her mouth to break the silence.

"I'm leaving Tokyo." Kikyo beat her to it, still staring down at the city.

This statement simply renewed the silence as Kagome searched for a suitable response to that. She ended up settling for, "Huh?" and blinked several times.

Kikyo sighed. "I'm leaving. The city. Well, a bit more than that actually, the country."

"You're," Kagome tried to follow. "Leaving Japan?"

"Yes." Kikyo had apparently found the will to speak again. She was now looking Kagome in the eyes as she spoke, traditional Kikyo mannerisms. She always looked people in the eyes. "Soon too."

"Ok…" Kagome trailed off unsure how to say her next sentence. "So, um, why are you tell ME this? I'm not exactly close to you or anything, shouldn't you have told Sango or Inuyasha first?" She assumed she was the first to her this information otherwise it wouldn't have been so hard for Kikyo to spit it out, and as much as it flattered Kagome to be told such important information, she really didn't understand why she was getting the honor of being a little secret keeper. It was all a little overwhelming.

But not as overwhelming as what Kikyo said next.

"I can't tell them. I don't want them or anyone to ever know about this."

Now Kagome was completely lost. "But, they'll all just find out when you leave anyways so—Don't you think you should say goodbye or something?"

Kikyo scooted up in her chair and looked Kagome right in the eyes. It made the young girl a bit self conscious to have someone that close stare that intently, but she swallowed the feeling down and waited for an answer to her question.

Kikyo just looked at her for a little while and then gave a small smile. "Don't you get what I'm saying yet?"

Kagome shook her head slowly.

Kikyo sighed in slight frustration and reached to dig something out of her purse. "No one can know I'm leaving, not even after I've left. And the way that I'm going to pull this off is—" She pulled out a compact mirror and held it in front of Kagome's face. "With you."

Kagome stared back at her face and blinked slowly, finally realizing what is was Kikyo wanted from her.

"You want…" She began. "You want me to be you while you're gone? Like, all the time?"

Kikyo took a deep breath in and nodded in relief.

Kagome thought for a second. "How would—this isn't—There's no way this can work!"

"It can. We're practically identical." Kikyo turned the mirror to herself. "Even Inuyasha gets us mixed  
up-- well, gets you mixed up with me—and he should know me better than anyone. Everyone else should be easy to fool. It'll just take a little bit of acting and," She looked at Kagome again. "A little bit of make-up."

A worried face reached Kagome.

"Oh and I of course I won't have you do something like this for nothing. I plan to pay you."

This caused Kagome to look up at Kikyo. Her family was always stretching her mother's paycheck way to thin. Even a little extra money would be a really big help…

"How much…?" Kagome spoke quietly, her family needs forcing the words out.

"Well," Kikyo leaned back into the couch, already feeling rather triumphant. "I'll be gone for about a year, give or take a few weeks, so I was thinking—How does $500,000 sound?"

Kagome's head shot up. "$500,000?! That's half a million dollars! I- I couldn't possibly!"

Kikyo held up a hand. "This is going to be a full time job Kagome, and I want to make sure you'll do it right. Besides in case you hadn't noticed, I have quite a bit of money to burn."

"But still, half a MILLION dollars?!"

"Kagome, I don't plan to give it to you all at once, you'll get it in weekly salaries as it were." Kikyo thought for a moment. "On second thought maybe it should be $520,000? That way I can just give you $10,000 a week. Simpler math."

Kagome thought about it. She really thought about it. Her family could definitely use that much money. It could send both Kagome and Souta to college, allow her mother to work significantly less hours, and even send away those snide businessmen who always tried to buy out the shrine.

"So, exactly what would I have to do?"

*****

"_Maybe I should rethink this…" _Kagome thought while furiously jotting down notes in a fashionable little notebook as Kikyo spoke in front of her.

"And this is the master bedroom, where you'll be sleeping and getting ready for everything. That means school, parties, assemblies, concerts and anything else you're invited to, as long as the invitee is of decent social status." Kikyo walked over to the closet with taking a breath. "Here are all my clothes. You look about my size so everything should fit, but with the amount of money I'm paying you I expect everything will remain in my possession at the end of this year."

Kagome looked up briefly from her notebook into the closet. She had to do a double take to really absorb the amount of clothes Kikyo owned. The closet was bigger than the living room at Kagome's house and there was even a staircase that seemed to lead into another room with even more clothes. _"As if she'd know if something were to just disappear in here." _Not that Kagome would ever think of stealing. It was just that, Kagome always admired Kikyo's casual dress and some of those little blouses were really quite cute…

"Don't EVER wear a dress twice once you've worn it to an important event. All the dresses I have worn are n the back there behind the purses."

"Um," Kagome felt her voice come out before she realized it. "Why keep the dresses if you're never going to wear them again?"

Kikyo thought for a second. "Hmm." She looked over at the purses that shielded Kagome from the gorgeousness that she could feel emitting from behind them. "I guess you're right." Kikyo shrugged. "You can have those then, and any dress you happen to wear to a big event but make you send me a photo before you put it on! There are some dresses that I would really like to wear myself if you don't mind."

She turned off the light to the closet and turned out swiftly to move to the next room.

But there was something that was bothering Kagome…

"Kikyo?" She called after her. The young woman stopped without turning around. "Um, it's just that, since I'm doing this and all, would you mind telling me exactly why you're leaving?"

Kikyo seemed to stiffen slightly before she spun around rapidly nearly making Kagome jump.

"Yes you may." She crossed her arms over her chest as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm going to America. My parents have somehow gotten the idea that their "little girl" is acting a bit less than ideal. SO they're having me move closer to them. Also, to straighten me out I'm going to—"Kikyo frowned. "Military school."

This was a bit of a shock. Of all things, Kagome wasn't expecting THAT. She had tossed around a couple ideas since she accepted the offer and prior to that speech it was a toss-up between something crazy like she was a super secret spy who had to leave for a year-long mission and teenage pregnancy scandal. Needless to say, she was more than relieved it wasn't the second option. Although a little disappointed that it wasn't the first either.

And now she could see why Kikyo wanted to keep it a secret. Military school would destroy her 'cool' reputation, which for a girl like her would be devastating Kagome imagined. To be perfectly honest, Kagome couldn't picture having that much respect in her wildest dreams, let alone having to lose it. So although to a simple girl like Kagome, Kikyo's methods might seem a bit EXTREME, perhaps this was all pretty normal in the life of the young, rich and popular.

"Well." Kagome looked down at her most recent notes. "Ok then that's all I needed."

The smile Kikyo gave in response to that was hard to describe. If there was a word for it, it would have to be "Kagome-ish". It was defiantly a face Kagome had never seen on her before, and it was enough to make Kagome rethink the similarity between themselves.

"Alright then, once last stop for today and you can go home and begin to prepare." Kikyo motioned for Kagome to follow her to the bathroom.

The bathroom was large. Like everything else in the house. So after seeing the game room, the living room, the lounge, the 3 guest bedrooms, the music room, the movie room, the office, the gym, the dining room, the library and the absolutely amazing master bedroom the bathroom was pretty predictable.

Jacuzzi tub. Yep

Giant window looking out over the city. Yawn.

Marble counter tops. Of course.

Glass shower with not one, not two, but THREE working showerheads. Kagome did a double take. Ok, so not everything was predictable. _"Why would anybody even need that many shower heads?"_

It being a bathroom, there were mirrors. It being Kikyo's bathroom there were 3 giant mirrors along the walls allowing the two girls to stare at themselves quite effectively. They're four eyes jumped from one reflection to the other, almost losing track of whose reflection belonged to who until Kagome spoke.

"Your hair's longer than mine."

Kikyo pulled on her raven locks tenderly. "You're right…" She then looked at Kagome's hair. Same color, same basic consistency, but where Kikyo's was pin straight and shiny, Kagome's had a little bit more volume and almost a wavy look going for her. But even if she straightened her hair perfectly, Kikyo would have at least 5 more inches on Kagome.

A problem quite easily remedied.

It all happened pretty fast. Kikyo reached into a drawer, pulled out some scissors and with a quick 'SNIP!' dropped a significant amount of hair to the ground. Kagome just watched as she made a few more swift cuts to even it out. When she was content with the results she took a final look in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair.

"Better then?" She looked at Kagome. Although she smiled, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Y-yeah." Kagome looked at the fallen locks in the ground. "But you didn't have to—I mean—I could've just told them I got it cut."

"No." She continued to run her hands through her hair. "It was getting to long anyways, and this will allow people to get used to it before I go. Things will be strange enough as it is, this is the least I can do."

A clock rang down the hall chiming a total of 8 times.

"Oh!" Kagome gasped. "Dinner! I didn't call my mother to tell her I'd be late! And now I have to tell her all this too," Kagome jumped nervously. "Can you take me home? It would also be easier to tell them about this, er, job with you there."

"Of course," Kikyo started for the door."You'll be sure to study those notes you wrote right?"

"Yep, I'll follow everything in this book to a T! You won't even know you're gone!" Kagome smiled at her. She obviously thought her little joke was deserving of a laugh.

Kikyo failed to deliver. "There's just one more thing I should have mentioned earlier—"

Kagome opened the notebook and reached for her pen.

Kikyo stepped toward her and slammed the book shut startling the pen out of Kagome's hand. "This is off the record." She looked deep into the young girls eyes. "You're a nice girl Kagome, and I would hate to have to become your enemy. So play it smart and keep a distance from Inuyasha."

A blink was all the response that Kagome could manage.

"I don't care how you do it. Any damage you cause to our relationship in the next year I will fix when I get back. Don't try to fix anything, don't try and replace me, and don't—DO NOT—lay a finger on him, Understand?"

She nodded slightly.

"Good, then we have a understanding." Kikyo smiled again. "Come now, let's not miss your family's dinner."

It was a moment before Kagome could gather her thoughts enough to even breathe, let alone walk. _"She's worried about me… and Inuyasha?" _She shuddered at the thought.

"As if that would EVER happen!"

* * *

Alright! So NOW is the time that y'all can put your fingers to the keys and type me a little review. What do you think so far? Of the plot? Love iy? Hate it? Have a question you're just DYING to ask? (I will answer it!) Inuyasha WILL come into the story by the next chapter, and Kikyo will be gone too so, If you just HATE her, stick around ok? She's gone. Oh! And I know no ones gonna ask this, but i'm gonna tell y'all anyways cause i'm excited. Kikyo's house is based off of my parents actual house in Georgia. Yeah, it's HUGE and most of the stuff is true. (I exaggerated a bit, see if you can guess what's not real!)

So! Review please! and the next chapter will probably be up by this weekend, or next week at the latest! Thanks for reading! :D


	3. The Dawn of the First Day

Alright, so this chapter probably has a lot of typos in it, but I wanted to get it done before I went to bed tonight! So freaking enjoy! (lol...)

**The Girl Next Door**

Chapter Two

The Dawn of the First Day

So this was it. Kikyo was officially gone. It was 10 at night and normal people were getting ready for bed or watching TV or procrastinating on homework. But not Kagome. Oh no, Kagome was WALKING over to a dark secluded gas station where a 'secret' taxi would be waiting to whisk her away to her new home for the next year. A whole year sleeping in someone else's bed, using someone else's shower, LIVING someone else's LIFE. Apparently Kagome hadn't really thought about this, and now that is was happening she was kind of freaking out.

It was her mother's fault. She took this whole thing WAY too well. Would at least a breath of hesitation be too much to ask? Her mother practically pushed her out the door when she heard about the money. Sure, the first thing she mentioned was about using it for Kagome and Souta's college fund, but still, her mother could care a little more for her well being! Wasn't she even going to miss her?

And speaking of college, it would be a miracle if Kagome could even get in after this next year. She might even have to be held back.

She was sick. That was the story. 'Darn near deathly ill' according to grandpa. Fortunately a school policy stated that if she was able to do the homework for her four core classes she might be able to make it to senior year. And even MORE fortunately all core classes were the same for all juniors (and seniors, and sophomores and freshman), so technically all Kagome would have to do is the homework twice, once for Kikyo, and once for her. Sure it'd be easy for things like math and history that don't require much individual thought, but it was English that she was worried about. If her English teacher assigned a book analysis or something than Kagome had to think up and write TWO 'A' papers or risk failing.

But she wouldn't think about that.

With the money Kikyo's giving her maybe she could just pay a nerd to do two copies of her easy classes and then she would only have to worry about English papers…

But she wouldn't think about it!

What she would think about is the taxi that was now coming into view and what she was going to do tomorrow at school…

'_Alright,' _Kagome started to run to get into the taxi. She didn't really like the dark. _'Let's make a list! Of everything I have to try and remember:' _

Rule 1: Don't speak unnecessarily. Kikyo rarely speaks and when she does it's always well thought out and insightful. She doesn't just open her mouth for the sake of hearing her own voice in her ears.

'_That should be easy.'_ She buckled her seatbelt. _'Seeing as I'll be so nervous I won't know what to say anyways.'_

Rule 2: Keep your guard up. Lots of people talk to Kikyo on a daily basis, and not all of them have exactly good intentions, especially that Naraku. Even Kagome could see that he had a thing for Kikyo, and that was before he tried asking Kagome out while calling her Kikyo the entire time.

Rule 3: Keep your cool. Kikyo never yells, she never gets excited, she never overreacts. All things Kagome was really going to have to work on.

'_What a boring way to live life…'_

Rule 4: Have a plan. Popularity is a jungle. If you don't know how to handle it, you won't. So you need to KNOW what you're doing after school EVERYDAY and double book for the weekends. It was classic Kikyo to have double plans on the weekend only to call one person and 'apologize sincerely for not being able to make it'.

Rule 5: STAY AWAY FROM INUYASHA.

Kagome frowned. That was one she really shouldn't have a problem with, seeing as she really doesn't like Inuyasha. And Kikyo had even gone to the trouble of stirring up a fight with him so he'd be angry and avoid HER on her first day. _'Better to ease your way in.'_ as Kikyo put it. Kagome figured it was more about preventing Inuyasha from giving her a 'Good morning, how was your weekend' kiss. Not that she was complaining.

And that was the list.

Well, the main one. There were all sorts of little rules and mannerisms that Kagome had worked on memorizing before tonight. Things like 'Don't mix green and pink', 'avoid gold', 'make sure your wear the Shikon High class ring everyday', 'keep the house clean', 'water the plants', 'cross your legs right over left' and stuff like that.

Kagome could see the house up on the hill now. Apparently Kikyo had left her lights on to convince the neighbors that she was still home. A rather pointless thing to do, seeing as the nearest neighbor was so shrouded in trees they couldn't see a brick.

The secret taxi flew its way up the hill and dropped Kagome off near the front door. With a halfhearted wave Kagome sent it back on its merry way to the next 'secret' client.

She took a deep breath in. She was just going to walk in, go straight to a bedroom and go to sleep. Kikyo had her waking up at 6 to do her hair so she needed all the help she could get.

*****

Kagome has never woken up at 6 before. In fact she's never woken up any earlier than 8, so when Kikyo's godforsaken alarm clock screamed at her to wake up—literally screamed at her "WAKE UP!" Kagome figured Kikyo bought it specifically for her—she was more than a little distraught.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" Kagome shot up in the King sized canopy bed, her hair flying over her head.

She glared at the screaming object hoping it would somehow spontaneously combust and she could enjoy a couple more hours of well deserved sleep. When that failed Kagome somehow gathered herself together to go straighten her hair and brush her teeth.

"This is absolutely-- *YAWN*-- ridiculous!" She kicked the door to the bathroom open not caring when it slammed against the door stop. "No one should have to be up this early!"

So Kagome complained while straightening her hair, she complained while brushing her teeth, she complained while doing her makeup, she complained while getting into her uniform—complete with class ring—and she REALLY complained when after all that she looked at the clock and it was only 6:30.

Well , at least she could get another hour of sleep in…

*****

_Dear Kikyo…_

CLICK

_Hey Kikyo! How's it going?_

CLICK

_So Kikyo, I know you wanted a daily update but isn't this kinda weird? I mean, Youtube is out there for all to see and I, I mean, don't you think that kinda defeats the whole point? ANYONE could just log right on and…_

CLICK

_Dear _Diary_,_

_I figured this kind of intro would divert any unwanted attention. That way, you can see what's up and no one really knows who you are!_

_Well, What do you think?_

_About the hair I mean. And the makeup. I got up at 6 like your PDA told me to, but I don't think all that time was really necessary. I don't have NEARLY as much hair as you do! Well, as you DID. _

_Whew… Can I just say that I'm actually kinda nervous? First day and all. I think it's sort of a given. I always get nervous during first concerts too, but it goes away so I'm not too worried._

_Well, it's almost 8 now, and Miroku and Sango should be pulling up pretty soon to pick me up. I read all your notes about those two but most of them just said 'Don't talk to them' so I guess it'll be a pretty boring trip to school. _

_Oh and since it's the first day and all I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all this. I know I'm the one doing the favor, but your 'compensation' was WAY beyond generous. So, Thanks._

_Oh! They're they are, I'd better be off! Don't wanna be late!_

_Talk to you tomorrow 'Diary'!_

_Kagome Higurashi signing off!_

_CLICK_

Yep. Kikyo wanted a daily update of how things were going. It was understandable and all, but it was going to be a little annoying having to do one every morning. What if nothing had happened? Or what if something so big happened that Kagome needed to lie about it? More importantly, what was Kikyo going to do if something wasn't going her way? It's not as if she could just drop out of military school and show up at the front door demanding everything back.

Everything was in Kagome's hands…

HONK HONK!

And Miroku was waiting outside to pick her up.

_*****_

"How did we get roped into doing this again?" Sango tapped her fingers impatiently against the window.

"Now, now Sango," Miroku turned to look at her in the backseat. "Kikyo told me in advance yesterday that she'd need a ride to school today. So here we are!"

"No no. That's why YOU'RE here. Why are WE here? Why am I here?!"

"Because my lovely Sango-chan, it seems Kikyo doesn't exactly trust me alone."

Sango scoffed. "I can't imagine why, you pervert."

"Sango," He put his hand on his heart. "Your words wound me!" He pretended to collapse on his steering wheel. "Now you'll have to drive Kikyo to school and TALK to her on the way there—ALONE. Maybe you'll bond..." He coughed dramatically.

"Oh very funny, Miroku get up."

He didn't move.

"Miroku. Get up!"

He still didn't move. Sango looked out at the house and saw Kikyo FINALLY coming out.

"Miroku, seriously, get up NOW! Kikyo's coming and even though she was the one who caused up to be late she's gonna give that whole 'it's everybody else's fault' aura and she's not gonna be happy when she gets to school, which will make Inuyasha unhappy so… GET UP!"

Kikyo walked casually toward the car and Sango started to panic.

"Miroku! PLEASE get up! I can't talk to her one on one! You know that!" She lifted his head bi his ponytail. His eyes remained closed and his mouth was parted slightly. "Miroku!" She shook him.

"Kiiff mwae…" He mumbled.

"What?" Sango looked at his face for some sort of clue. Then it hit her. "Oooooh. Right."

She kissed him gently on the cheek. Before she could pull away however, Miroku grabbed her around the waist and help her close. "Come on now Sango, that barely counts and you know it!"

"Let go you pervert! It's your own damn fault for not being specific!"

"Well, allow me to remedy that situation! I would like a kiss on the lips, please Sango!" He puckered his lips.

"NO! Now let go!"

"AHEM."

The two teens looked over at Kikyo who stood, arms crossed, waiting to get in the car.

Miroku quickly let go of Sango who flew to the back seat and attempted to melt into them as he unlocked the car and put both hands on the wheel ready to drive away after she buckled in.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry about that, um, Kikyo." He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "How was your, uh, weekend?"

"Fine." She replied.

"Well that, that is fantastic." Miroku sighed. It was so hard to get Kikyo talking without Inuyasha nearby. She wasn't exactly what one would call open with her feelings. Best way to get through this was to talk about HIS weekend. Then maybe Sango would comment on something and start a decent conversation. "Well I had a great weekend. Yep nothing but me, Hachi and an all night internet chat room with 3 lovely ladies."

Sango scoffed in the back.

Kikyo continued to stare straight ahead.

"Yep it was all well and good until 2 of the girls started hitting on each other. Then things just got awkward for the third one. I TRIED to console her but things got a little distracting as you can imagine."

"You're such a pervert! You did that all weekend?"

"Well what, may I ask, did you do this weekend Sango? Seeing as I didn't see a curve of you since Friday."

Kagome smiled slightly as Sango explained her weekend of shopping and training at the gym. _'This is almost too easy… I don't have to say a word!' _She looked in the mirror at Sango who while talking kept shooting her dirty looks in between breaths. _'Although I get the feeling Sango doesn't like Kikyo very much…'_

"Fine then Sango, your weekend was just as, if not more enjoyable than mine." He smirked. "Of course, I can think of way we can both have an enjoyable weekend TOGETHER—"

"So Kikyo," Sango quickly changed the subject. "Any particular reason you dragged Miroku and I out to pick you up instead of Inuyasha? I'm not complaining or anything. I LOVE being able to help you out in absolutely anyway that I can." Her tone suggested the exact opposite but both Kagome and Miroku choose to ignore it.

"Actually," Kagome thought this would be the best time to explain the situation to these two. It seemed like other than Inuyasha, they were who Kikyo hung out with the most. "We seem to being having a bit of a… disagreement as it were."

Sango gasped and Miroku jumped so much he nearly slammed on the brakes.

There was a silence that followed.

"You two are—" Miroku was the first to speak. "Fighting?"

"It seems so." Kagome replied coolly. _'Is that weird for these two?'_

"Oh wow…" Sango put her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I am so sorry. But it'll be ok! You two will totally get through it."

"Of course!" Miroku chimed in. "First fights never last long after all, and you two were, well are, absolutely inseparable! He can't stay mad at you. There's no way!"

Sango nodded. "Yep no way. Absolutely."

The rest of the drive was pretty quiet. Kagome figured it was because Miroku and Sango were both scared that Kikyo would do something crazy now that she was fighting with her boyfriend for 5 years and running. Which, to her, was pretty ridiculous. There was no way they could've gone 5 years without a single fight. It just wasn't possible. Kagome couldn't go 5 minutes without fighting with someone. ANYONE really. But that's usually because she was frustrated at being mistaken for Kikyo.

As they pulled up to the school, Kagome noticed that the kids kind of parted for Miroku's car like the red sea.

"_Well that's a little over the top isn't it?" _Kagome rolled her eyes.

Miroku pulled into a parking spot that oh so continently happened to be empty, neatly resting next to two other empty spots, despite the fact that every other spot in the lot seemed to be so packed people were driving in circles and threatening to roll on top of the smaller cars.

They were, of course, the spots closest to the school, and Kagome could easily see who the two empty ones belonged to. One was probably hers, er, Kikyo's, but Kikyo had forbid Kagome from driving the Porche so that spot would most defiantly be remaining empty. The other one, if Kagome had to guess must belong to…

A loud roar broke through the parking lot forcing the students that were still in the road to physically jump out of the way or risk being run over by the Mercedes that now flew across the lanes.

Oh Inuyasha.

Now, Kagome didn't make a habit of watching the popular kids before school. She didn't even make a habit of showing up to school before the first bell on most days. So, she wasn't exactly sure if this whole racing through the parking lot thing was normal or if Inuyasha was genuinely MAD at Kikyo. Whatever it was, it gave her a very bad feeling as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

With what seemed to be effortless skill, the Mercedes slid neatly into the spot closest to the school, leaving a whole spot of distance between Kagome and the possible peeved Hanyou.

"So uh, Kikyo, Sango and I have to, um, go." Miroku grabbed said girl before she could get her head out of the car. "So we'll see you at lunch then, yeah?" And proceeding to drag her off by the arm toward the building.

Well now Kagome was alone. Alone and surrounded by people stopping to watch Inuyasha slowly get out of his car while Kikyo continued to just stand like a log next to Miroku's. The fact that they didn't arrive at school together was going to cause enough of a rumor as it was, but it was the people staying to watch the confrontation that would have a real story to tell.

Inuyasha shut the car door and locked it with a quick beep as he locked eyes with Kagome. A look of determination crossed his face as he proceeded to march toward her.

Kagome started to panic. _'What do I do?! Kikyo said he wouldn't talk to me! Is he going to yell? Is he going to hit something? Oooooh, Miroku will be so upset if Inuyasha hurts his car… What would, what would Kikyo do right now?!' _She thought for a minute. _"Well, Kikyo probably would just stand here and look as tough as he does, right?"_ She stiffened and crossed her arms. He was almost face to face with her at this point, and his closeness caused her confidence to waver. _'Well, on second thought—'_

And then he kissed her. It all happened so fast Kagome barely had time to register what was happening. She knew one of his hands was resting in the small of her back keeping her close, and the other was pulling up on her cheek preventing her escape. She also knew, now, that his fangs did poke her lips as he moved against them. It was always a little curiosity of hers, to find out what it would be like to kiss a demon. Or in this case half demon. And now she knew. It was… nice.

And COMPLETELY against Rule 5.

Kagome pulled back, almost as if she'd been burned. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice.

"So, Kikyo," He began, moving both hands to rest on her waist now. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other night—"

"Excellent, now would you mind letting me go Inuyasha so we can—"

He kissed her again. Quickly this time, more like a 'shut up and let me talk' kiss than anything, but it caught Kagome off guard and she could feel a blush rising to her cheeks.

"So like I was saying," He gave her a look. "I was thinking about what you said and I decided… That I don't care."

Well that was confusing. Didn't care about what?

"In fact," Apparently he wasn't done. Kagome decided she'd just let him talk. Might get some more clues that way anyway. "I'm actually kinda happy you trust enough to tell me something like that. I think it shows that we really don't have any secrets with each other!"

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _'If you only knew…'_

"So I just wanted you to know that your Twilight obsession secret is safe with me."

Kagome froze. Twilight obsession? THAT was it?!

"And," Inuyasha growled a little. "I'll get over the fact that you're Team Jacob. Werewolves are probably different than the mangy ones I know anyways." He looked down at her his forehead resting against hers. "So, are we cool again?"

A lot of things were happening in Kagome's mind at this point. First of all, she wanted to go crawl under a rock just thinking about how much trouble she would be in if Kikyo found out about Inuyasha's little affectionate display this morning. She wanted to roll on the ground and laugh because Kikyo thought a Twilight Obsession was reason enough for a fight and even MORE so that it worked for a little while. And lastly, she wanted to just melt when she looked directly into those golden orbs that bore down on her.

'_This must be a dog thing.'_ Kagome thought as she tried to swallow her feelings down. _'There's no way anyone could have a puppy dog look like this unless they were part dog. It's a little unfair.'_

"We're… cool." She managed to choke out while trying to keep her heartbeat under control.

A smile lit up the dog boy's face and he instantly dropped her waist to pick up her bag with one hand and HER hand with the other. "Alright then! Let me walk you to your homeroom!"

She nodded in response. Hoping he wouldn't try to look at her red face or feel how clammy her hand was getting.

*****

Kagome didn't know that Inuyasha and Kikyo had different homerooms. She figured it was something they could easily fix with all their money and resources. _'Kikyo probably told him to back off a little.' _She giggled to herself. Homeroom was the ONLY class the couple didn't have together, and when Inuyasha dropped Kagome off to hers he gave the most adorable, most pathetic little look of goodbye she had ever seen in her life. She squeezed his hand a little to say goodbye because she felt a little bad, but that didn't seem to console him very much. Poor thing.

On top of that, he also seemed to light up every time he saw Kagome's, er, Kikyo's face and it broke Kagome's heart a little each time.

'_He must really love her.' _Kagome daydreamed casually. It was second period and Inuyasha kept sneaking glances her way. He probably thought she didn't notice. She definitely did. _'That's so sad, she wouldn't even tell him goodbye. He doesn't even know she's gone! She just left some stranger to replace her and become the object of his affections and she still had the audacity to tell me to stay away from him! What a bitch!'_

Clearly her anger was starting to show on her face because Inuyasha sent a note flying her way. When she opened it she found it was a little drawing of the teacher, Mr. Totosai, with a really big head, fangs and a devil tail. He was saying something, but Inuyasha had written it so fast it was illegible. Still, Kagome had to swallow back a laugh and settle for a smile. Inuyasha smiled back at her.

Lunch came all too quickly.

Kagome was feeling quite proud of herself. Four periods past and she hadn't really said two words to anybody but Inuyasha. If the rest of her days were like this, she'd have $520,000 in her pocket without really having to ever lift a finger. Now that was an enjoyable career choice.

Despite her pride, she was, as it seems, a little nervous about lunch. Nothing but casual conversation for a whole hour and she was going to make it a goal to just nod and smile the whole time. Remember, she had plans for this afternoon, and she definitely had plans for the weekend. Just stop the front line and the offers will slowly trickle away.

That's what she told herself anyway.

"Kikyo! So do you wanna go hang out after school today?"

"Kikyo, you said you'd help me with my archery sometime soon, how's tomorrow looking?"

"Kikyo my parents are out of town so I'm having this party… Would you like to come? Of course, you'd have to bring Inuyasha with you—"

"Kikyo! Lunch tomorrow?"

"Kikyo! Remember on Saturday!"

"Kikyo!"

"Kikyo!"

"Kikyo!"

"KIKYO!" Inuyasha pushed his way through the crowd and grabbed her by the arm. He then pushed the flock of people out of the way and dragged her to the table where the rest of her 'friends' were sitting.

"Here." Inuyasha sat her down and handed her a sack lunch. "I grabbed you something, cause I noticed you didn't have a lunch today." He sat down next to her.

"Thanks." Kagome looked down at the paper bag, still a little disoriented from everything. _'I think I'll try to eat a little later. After my stomachs caught up with me.'_ Listening to the popular kid's conversation was bound to be far more entertaining anyways.

"Yeah, so then I had to smack some sense into him. The guy really doesn't learn does he?" Kouga smirked and flipped his hair in a smug manner.

"I'm right here you know." Naraku glared angrily.

"Yeah, and I'm telling you the next time you touch me I'll rip your freaking arm off."

"It was a simple mistake. Your long hair makes you look like a girl."

"Ho." Sango lifted an eyebrow. "Any girl in particular you think Kouga looks like?"

Naraku scoffed and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Kouga shuddered.

"Speaking of looking like a certain person at this table." Miroku looked around. "I haven't seen that one chick since Friday or so."

"Friday?" Sango blinked. "Did you talk to her on Friday? I haven't seen her since that day of the storm."

"Yes well, I like to keep tabs on the beautiful women of the school, and she's one that's definitely caught my eye."

Kagome sighed. "Don't hold your breath…"

10 pairs of eyes looked over at her quizzically.

"Um, I mean," She coughed. "I heard she was out sick today. Flu or something."

"Oh." Miroku looked a little sad. "That's a damn shame. Maybe we should invite her over to the table sometime?"

"KEh." Inuyasha scoffed. "Don't bother. That girl wants absolutely nothing to do with us. She can't STAND Kikyo."

"What the hell did she do?" NAraku looked a little pissed.

"Oh I can't imagine…" Sango rolled her eyes.

'_This would probably be a good time to eat my sandwich.'_ Kagome started to unwrap the little brown bag.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what the hell happened to her, but you should SEE her face when someone calls her Kikyo. She can't stand it!"

"Shouldn't that be a compliment or something?"

"That's what I told her. She just came back with 'I'm KAGOME!' and stopped her little foot. It was pretty awesome." He laughed.

That got Kagome's attention. To hell with the sandwich. It was turkey anyways. "You know her name?"

Inuyasha blinked. If he didn't know any better he'd say that Kikyo just snapped at him. Probably just his imagination. She doesn't snap at ANYBODY. "Yeah, I know her name. I've been in the same classes with her since kindergarten. We used to play together."

Well, Kagome didn't remember that…

"Aww, You're gonna make her jealous Mutt, talking about other girls like that."

"Shut up wolf!"

Kagome held up a hand. "So if you know her name, why do you mistake her for me all the time."

He shrugged. "Kicks I guess. She 's pretty funny to watch."

Forget everything Kagome ever thought about feeling sorry for Inuyasha. He and Kikyo deserved each other.

*****

"Kikyo wait up! Let me drive you home."

"No thank you." She continued to march off angrily.

"Kikyo? Don't you wanna hang out or something? Before you go home?"

"No."

"Kikyo, Wait up!" Inuyasha ran in front of her preventing her from moving forward toward the parking lot.

He shouldn't have been surprised that her face was the same as it always was, but he just thought that… I mean it seemed like, like she was mad at him or something?

"Um," He stared at her. "Did I do something to upset you? Or anything?"

"No." She stared right back at him.

"Then why do you want to leave so soon?"

"Because I have lots of laundry to do."

"Do it later."

"I have homework too."

"I'll do it for you."

"Inuyasha, I need to keep my grades up, and you'll just pay someone to do it for you anyways."

"So?"

"I'm going home Inuyasha." She moved to go around his left side.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He intercepted her and grabbed her hand. "Please don't go yet?" his thumb softly stroked the back of her hand. "Please?"

That was a word that Kagome had never heard pass his lips before. Granted, he was talking to Kikyo and not to her, so she had actually heard quite a few things that she had never heard before. She had also FELT a few things that she had never felt before, and let's not get into taste—

Kagome sighed. It was mostly in an attempt to rid her mind of embarrassing thoughts to prevent her face from heating up but to Inuyasha, it was apparently code for 'Kiss me again please!'

How many kisses was this now? 3? 4? Something like that. Kagome probably should have been keeping track of how many lies she would have to tell to Kikyo before the day was done and all but oh well. At least Inuyasha was a good kisser. A REAALLY good kisser…

"Mmm..." Kagome moaned against his lips as he pulled back slightly.

"Will you stay now? For a little while? And let me drive you home?"

She paused for a minute as if she was actually thinking about it.

"No." She smirked.

Inuyasha sighed in defeat. "Fine, go home and do your stuff or whatever." He let go of her hand and moved to allow her to pass by. "But tomorrow afternoon you're all mine! I won't let you go off by yourself again!"

She nodded and gave a quick wink before casually walking out toward Miroku's car.

"Kiiiiiiikyyyoooo…." Miroku whined. "Why exactly do you have to go home right now? Sango has Tai Jutsu practice and I was going to watch her…"

"Just drive." Kagome buckled her seatbelt and settled herself in thinking about a certain silver haired half demon just a little more than usual.

*****

"I can't believe he knows my name and he deliberately goes out of his way to bother me!" Kagome was ranting into her mirror. She was supposed to be getting a shower, but she had stubbed her toe on the tile and completely by accident discovered that Kikyo's bathroom had like the rest acoustics for talking to yourself. And she couldn't just destroy this lovely sound with three shower heads of rushing water.

"The nerve of that guy! No wonder I don't remember him from Kindergarten, he probably stole my animal crackers or kicked in my sand castle or something!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Kagome dramatically rolled her eyes. "And don't get me STARTED on Kikyo! I thought she was this perfect little thing, but she doesn't even have the nerve to tell her own boyfriend she's leaving for a whole year?! I mean, a lot could happen in a year! A lot! I takes less time than that for a freaking child to develop! COME ON!!"

It was at this point Kagome started singing. She obviously wasn't really upset, she just liked hearing the sound of her own voice after a whole day of not really being able to use it. This whole talking to herself in the bathroom thing might just end up becoming a daily thing.

*****

"I can't believe, I'm doing this…" Inuyasha grumbled as he drove up Kikyo's seemingly endless driveway. He was also having a daily dose of his own voice in his ears. "She said she was fine. She said there was nothing wrong, there's obviously nothing wrong!"

He pulled up next to the front door in a rather sloppy park job.

"God, you KNOW she hates it when you drop by unannounced. Might catch her dancing around naked or whatever it is Kikyo does when she's alone." He blushed a bit. The thought of Kikyo dancing naked was, a bit disturbing actually. But only in the 'I can't look away' kind of way. Whatever it was it certainly didn't prevent Inuyasha from using the spare key to open the front door to the house.

"Hello?" He stuck his head in first. "Kikyo? It's me!"

He could smell running water, and he thought he heard someone singing the safety dance off in the bathroom. So that was the place to go.

Inuyasha always liked Kikyo's house more than his own. Couldn't really pinpoint why though. It could've been the tidiness of the whole place; it could've been the peace. Or it simply could've been the fact that his goddamn brother wasn't anywhere near the place.

He made his way to the master bedroom. If he and Kikyo were to ever get married. They would definitely be staying in this room. Just a passing thought. No real commitment in it or anything.

"You can dance if you want to! You can leave your friends behind!"

Yep. That was definitely the safety dance. Inuyasha didn't know Kikyo knew that song, yet alone sang in the shower. Maybe she was dancing too? He blushed again. He wouldn't get into any trouble if he just put an ear up against the door to hear better right? Right.

He could still hear the water running. All three showerheads it sounded like. A major waste of water, but who really cares?

"Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance then they're--- OH!!"

Her outburst made him jump slightly.

"Forgot a towel…"

You know those moments when you hear things, and you know what they mean, and you know you need to do something, but for some reason your brain jumbles up the message and you end up just standing in one spot looking like an idiot? Yeah. Inuyasha was having one of those moments. So when Kagome opened the door to go get a towel from the laundry room a few different things happened.

One: Inuyasha fell into the bathroom with the door.

Two: He landed on top of a helpless naked girl who kinda looked like Kikyo, but definitely wasn't her.

Three: There was lots of screaming involved.

"!!!!!"

* * *

And that's that. I know almost exactly where I'm going with this now that Inuyasha is in the picture Muhahaha..... The ending seems rushed to me though, is it rushed to anyone else? Oh! And before I forget, I did get a couple of questions, of which I answered in the chapter I believe thank you very much *bow* and I got a guess on what was real in Kikyo's/my parents house and what was fake.

Well, the answer is....

The number of showheads. There's only 2 working ones. Momma likes to put them on at the same time which is a MASSIVE waste of water i'm SURE. Oh well. But yeah we do have an endless driveway, we DO have all the rooms I listed and we DO have giant ass windows that look out over the city. Granted, it's not Tokyo, but it is a cute little town. :3

Well! Thanks for reading and plese continue to review!!

:D :D :D


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